nvertible, part of a motorcade, U.S. President John F. Kennedy/JFK was shot to death on November 22, 1963, in the downtown Dealey Plaza area of Dallas, Texas. Though cautioned by inner circle advisors about the inherent dangers of riding exposed in a convertible, JFK reportedly countered it was imperative he be more "personal" in order to win over "hostile" Dallas voters.

Many historians contend the JFK assassination is one of the more pivotal events in American History, one that forever altered our society:

*Television surpassed newspapers as a means of keeping abreast about what was happening in the world, so graphic, in-depth, and ongoing was the TV coverage of the JFK assassination.

*It spawned the dawn of the "conspiracy" era.

*Much to the outrage of many American citizens, it provided a means for continued American military presence in Vietnam.

In my opinion, the major impact the JFK assassination had on American society was the "Age of Camelot," with all its glim and glam, had been taken from us. President JFK and wife/First Lady Jacqueline were America's true Power Couple, and one-half of that Power Couple had his head blown off on that historic November 22, 1963 day, for all of America to see! We never will know the actual truth behind the JFK assassination; we will forever be intrigued by it.

***

The Black Lives Matter movement began after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the 2013 shooting death of black teen Trayvon Martin, in Florida. Shortly thereafter, Black Lives Matter became nationally prominent for its demonstrations following the 2014 death of yet another black teen, Michael Brown, shot to death by a white cop in Ferguson, Missouri.

Dallas, Texas, July 7, 2016: A Black Lives Matter rally was held in downtown Dallas to protest the recent shooting deaths of two black men: Alton Sterling killed July 5 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Philando Castile killed July 6 in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Both Sterling and Castile were shot to death by white policemen. Many, however, are of the opinion the media has been horribly slanted regarding the "actual facts" behind the shooting deaths of Sterling and Castile.

The Black Lives Matter rally held in Dallas (July 7) kicked off at around 7 p.m. A large number of Dallas Policemen were on duty to ensure the rally went peacefully. Around 9 p.m., gunshots were heard, and Dallas Police yelled "Active Shooter." Expectedly, hundreds of protesters in the area panicked and began running.

In the end, 5 Dallas Policemen were shot to death, and 7 more Dallas Policemen were wounded. A couple of civilians also were injured. The shooter was 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson, a black male. Johnson had served as a U.S. Army reservist and, too, had pulled a tour in Afghanistan, before being honorably discharged in 2015 under "questionable" circumstances. Johnson also had received post-military training from a private self-defense school in Texas that "teaches firearm tactics, including shooting on the move," a maneuver in which an attacker fires and changes position before firing again.

Johnson was quoted as saying he wanted to "kill white people," especially "white cops." It appears Johnson was particularly upset over the shooting deaths of Sterling and Castile, which probably was the catalyst that sent him over the edge. After a standoff with Dallas Police, Johnson was killed early the next morning (July 8) by a robotic explosive device detonated by Dallas Police.

Micah Xavier Johnson's slaughter of 5 Dallas Policemen, and wounding of 7 others, has been called the "worst attack on American law enforcement since the 9/11 terrorist attacks." And what many are struggling with is this: The Dallas Policemen killed and injured were on the scene to protect the Black Lives Matter rally. With his military background and tactical training, Johnson knew he had a scenario providing him with a shooting gallery for "soft targets": Dallas Policemen preoccupied with providing security for the Black Lives Matter rally.

Indeed, Michael Xavier Johnson fulfilled his intended mission. Of the 5 Dallas Policemen shot to death, 4 were white, and 1 was Hispanic. Too, Johnson's murderous action had a ripple effect across the nation: There have been violent incidents in other cities, and collectively, law enforcement is on edge.

Regarding the Dallas Police shooting tragedy, I queried a black man and a white man, both well educated. Here are their responses:

BLACK MAN: "If the white cops would stop killing people of color, for no reason, then maybe that mess in Dallas never would have happened."

WHITE MAN: "If the roles were reversed, and a white man--publicly announcing he wanted to kill as many black cops as possible--had shot to death 5 black cops in Dallas, then America would be engulfed in a civil war, as we speak."

Here's my take, readers: There exists tremendous racial divide in America, and I truly feel the only solution to the problem is the intervention of a Higher Power.

Last but not least, I am convinced our culture will never be the same after the killing of the 5 white police officers. Once again, American History was altered in Dallas, Texas.